Digging up tree stumps

I tried copper nails, actually i used some old lengths of microbore pip which I drove into cut stumps, had no affect.

If the epsom salts dont work, then at least they can be used at bath time

 

Fill the holes with epsom salt,then just enough water to dampen the salt & then cover.
If it's a big stump, then you can drill the big roots as well, usually takes around a month to work.
Use to buy it in 5kg buckets from local farm shop years ago, there are different grades, so I presume different strengths.

 

Here we go,Battles Epsom Salts, a 3kg bucket, not 5kg as I had thought.

http://www.totally-tack.co.uk/p_1358_battles-epsom-salts-magnesium-sulphate

And here a stockist/retailer finder for Battle.

http://www.battles.co.uk/products/0.../2852/battles-magnesium-sulphate-epsom-salts/

 

Drilled a few 8mm Ø holes in stump and filled with epsom salts - see if this works.

the other problem we have is holly regularly rooting up against the wall, house next door has a large holly tree so think its coming from there.

 

Epsom salts will dry out the stump, & stop it taking up mositure, can take about a month, really big stumps a couple of months.

As to holly, same treatment... as it will eventually damage the wall.

Just cut bark, just enough to lift it, drill deep hole at 45 degrees fill with epsom salts, plug hole, stick bark back down, no one is any the wiser.

 

Many years ago my mates family had a house out in the sticks,we were about 16 at the time and there were trees all down the drive.We said we'd help him remove them,it seemed a good idea at the time,we soon found out how hard it was,anyway one of the lads was from a quarrying family,they owned a large quarry several miles away.There was this one massive tree and no way were we going to shift it,not removing the stump as well,anyway this lad from the quarry had an idea, "I'll bring some gear from the quarry and we'll soon shift it".
Saturday morning and he rolls up with a couple of sticks of dynamite,rams them under the tree and lights the fuse,we retreated to a safe distance and waited to see the result. There was an almighty bang and it rained soil,we recovered from the shock and went to have a look at our handiwork,the tree had gone and there was a huge hole in the ground. "should you have used 2 sticks" ? we asked our self appointed explosives expert, "Dunno,we have a bloke at the quarry that deals with the explosives" he replied.
If ever a large tree is discovered floating around in outer space then we can say we put it there,I often chuckle to myself when I think about it,we were lucky we didn't get badly hurt or do serious damage really.

 

That's what already has happened. Wall was rebuilt in 2010, now cracks have reappeared again in several places. The wall belongs to the next-door but did pay towards the cost (1/2 the price).

The holly is sending out roots along the other wall and is difficult to get rid of.

 

Intrested to know what happens to the holly, never used epsom on a live tree.

 

I cut a small tree stump about 3" diameter about 7 years ago. thought it would die, but didn't, new shoots going out from top.

ended up making another clean cut on the stump yesterday, and put in some salts.

The wood is very tough to cut through, and because it has waxy levees is quite resistant to spraying from chemicals.

I also drilled a few holes in some stumps some years ago and put in some copper micro bore pipe, but didn't have any effect.

 

Epsom salt has been used for over a hundred years for killing stumps,& trees, it's a dehydrating agent.

 

Dust dug this stump out yesterday, took about 4 hours in total.

 

Use a sabre saw to cut root, very quick way to remove stump.

 

I've got a recip saw.

Just took out the holly tree today, was growing too close to the wall (about 12ft height). Roots were really tough, wouldn't have manged without the saw. One of the roots had already pushed a brick out fractionally from the buttress support in wall.

 

Was it sycamore?

 

Holly tree, seem to be growing everywhere.

 

Holly usually puts out a lot of suckers.

 

Going to keep an eye on it now, in 8 years the holly has doubled in size. The house behind the holly has one that is larger than the house and has already damaged the wall after being rebuilt in 2010.

Not my garden but saved the wall from further damage, my back is aching after all this work.

 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=260

 

As I've said a couple or times in various threads just paint the freshly cut ends of any stumps or suckers with neat ie undiluted glyphosate sold as Roundup and you'll get no regrowth whatsoever. Works every time I do it.

 

Just cut down some stumps to near ground level, as a trip hazard can I spray paint the stumps, to stop people tripping over as a temporary measure?